Waning Moon
by Lady Arcorna
Summary: Luna Lovegood finally can't deal with being shunned anymore. But where can she find comfort? Who could ever love her? RonxLuna, FredxLuna, DracoxLuna, ?xLuna.
1. Anywhere, but here

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: All these characters do not belong to me.  
  
A/N: I know that Luna wasn't exactly described like that in the book, but I'll make her a bit ... plump.  
  
SPOILERS FOR THE FIFTH BOOK AHEAD!!!  
  
Chapter 1 (Anywhere but here)  
  
I. Luna Lovegood and her father were making their way towards the Hogwarts Express at the platform 9 ¾. Mr Lovegood was chattering away, unaware of the fact that his daughter wasn't paying any attention to him: "Your fifth year will be hard, but never you mind, dear. You are very intelligent. You're in Ravenclaw after all! And even if you fail at your OWL's, the Quibbler will always have a place for such a talentend young lady!"  
  
Luna smiled up at her father and nodded, before she once again looked at the other students ... there the Malfoy's where; Mrs Malfoy (her name was Narcissa, Luna thought) hugged Draco tightly although he struggled ... Mrs Malfoy was a beautiful woman, cold, but beautiful. Luna wondered what it would be like to actually have a mother. She knew that **her** mother wouldn't be like Mrs Malfoy; unlike Luna, Mrs Lovegood had had black curls and dark eyes and a body to kill for. Luna was sort of chubby and didn't look very interesting or very pretty in her opinion. She took a glance over to the Weasley's ... Mrs Weasley was practically radiating warmth and love. Luna would have liked to have her as a mother ...  
  
"Well, dear, it's time to part, I suppose," Mr Lovegood said after a glance to his watch.  
  
He hugged his only child and for a brief second Luna felt what is was like to be loved, but then she was torn from her father by a wave of students and got shoved towards the train. Then it started yet again ... The murmurs ... the whispers ...  
  
"Hey Loonie! How was your break? D'you see any ... whatever it is a loonie likes to look at."  
  
"Loonie, old rascal! Did you find all your stuff again? Or was all your paperwork invain?"  
  
Luna hated these voices, teasing, taunting voices that reminded her that she wasn't worth their attention really. She hurried into the first compartment she reached and fell down on a seat; she almost wished she hadn't as she realised that she was with a bunch of Slytherins now, led by Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Is there anything we can help you with, Loonie?" he asked.  
  
"Uhhh ... ummm ... errr ... I ..."  
  
"Spit it already," he snarled. "I ... am ... in the wrong compartment, I think."  
  
"That's right, would you please move your fat ass? You're a disgrace to my eyes."  
  
Pansy Parkinson let out a highpitched laugh while tears welled up in Luna's eyes.  
  
"What's going on in here?" a sharp voice asked.  
  
"Ohhh, Granger. Another freak."  
  
Hermione glared at Draco for a moment, then she took Luna's hand in one of hers and grabbed her drunk with the other.  
  
"What were you doing there, anyway?" Hermione scolded. "Slytherins are never good news, you know."  
  
"I ... it was just the wrong compartment." Luna burst into tears; Hermione hurried to find the compartment she shared with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Finally she opened the right door, shoved Luna and her trunk in and fell onto a seat herself.  
  
"Luna, what's wrong?" Ginny asked softly.  
  
Luna was unable to answer the question (or any question for that matter) at the moment.  
  
"What ...?" Harry started.  
  
"Malfoy," was Hermione's simple answer.  
  
Ron curled his fingers into fists and let out a deep growl that caused everybody, including Luna, to look into his direction.  
  
"That bastard is getting annoying. At first it was only Gryffindors, but now he's starting to hate Ravenclaws, too. This'll end up in a ... school war eventually."  
  
Luna shook her head. "No ... he doesn't hate the other Ravenclaws, just me."  
  
Everybody fell silent; it was needless to say that the others could somehow understand Malfoy; Luna was dressed in the school robes already, but with a hat on that looked like one of those Hermione had made for the House Elves.  
  
The rest of the journey Harry and Ron played wizard's chess while Hermione and Ginny where giggling over some love potions book. Luna sighed. As if Ginny Weasley actually **needed** such a book! Most of the boys were after her, and who could blame them? Ginny was tall, slim and pretty.  
  
Who'd want a Luna Lovegood if they could have a Ginny Weasley?  
  
When they arrived at the Hogsmeade station they were brought to the castle in carriages like usually, then the feast took place with more murmurs and whispers until Luna could finally go up to her dormitory to get some sleep. The other Ravenclaw girls ignored her, but that was fine with Luna since that meant that they left her alone.  
  
At the same time Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were discussing Luna in the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"I don't understand why everyone's being so mean to her," Hermione spoke up. "She's a nice girl and definitely loyal."  
  
They had all started to think more highly of her since the end of the last term.  
  
"Well ... it's ... I mean ... Hermione, just look at her!" Ginny called out. "She looks like a female Neville!"  
  
Harry glared at her. "It's not bad being Neville and she's a nice girl, no matter what she looks like!"  
  
"Harry's right, Ginny. Looks don't matter," Hermione added.  
  
"Fine, I still can't really blame anyone who doesn't like her. What do **you** think, Ron?"  
  
Ron looked up, startled, as though he had been thinking of something else while the others were talking. "Well, I don't mind her. Some of the stuff she did last summer was pretty impressive actually."  
  
Ginny glared at her brother and got up. "Fine! I'll go to bed now. Night everyone."  
  
With that she left, clearly furious.  
  
II.  
  
The next few days passed without any special events; Harry and Ron were struggling with the task of handling both Quidditch and school while Hermione helped Ginny with her schoolwork. One day while Ron was in the library he heard an uproar from a few tables; Mrs Pince had left the library to take a second year Hufflepuff to the hospital wing as a huge book had fallen on his foot and it was broken now. The students had taken the opportunity to make some noise, of course, but that seemed to be different. He turned around the corner to see Luna staring at a tall Slytherin who had something small and shiny in his hands.  
  
"Give it back!" Luna cried. "Give it back!"  
  
"Ohhh, Loony wants back her ring, now doesn't she? But I don't think I can give it back to you."  
  
"I think you should," Ron said cooly.  
  
The Slytherin laughed. "Weasel and Loony. How cute!"  
  
Ron growled and took another step towards them. "I'm a prefect and if you don't ..."  
  
"WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE!?" Pince yelled on top of her voice.  
  
Ron smiled his sweetest smile and explained everything to Pince. She nodded, slowly and turned to the tall Slytherin. "Give that ring back to Miss Lovegood. I'll have a word with Professor Snape about this!"  
  
The Slytherin threw the ring to the floor and left post haste. Luna fell to her knees and picked the ring up, tears trickling down her cheeks. Ron bent down and gently took her hand to pull her back up.  
  
"Let's get out of here," he murmured and dragged Luna out of the library.  
  
"What was that about?" Ron asked as soon as they had reached an empty classroom.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"People have taken stuff from you before, why have you freaked out just about that ring?"  
  
"I-it was my mother's wedding ring," Luna whispered.  
  
Ron looked at her worriedly. "I didn't know ... are you okay?"  
  
Luna smiled up at him, putting her masc of indifference back on as quickly as she could.  
  
"Yes, of course. Thank you." With that she left the room and a very confused Ron behind.  
  
A/N: Good, bad, indifferent? Tell me, please. 


	2. Like a Shadow

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: All JK's!  
  
A/N: Thanks for the review, AnneMarie!  
  
Chapter 2 (Like a Shadow)  
  
I.  
  
The next few days passed without anything special; Luna went to her classes like always and she did extraordinarily good - like always. In her free time she would sit outside, enjoying the last warm days of the year. Sometimes she would think of Ron, too. Ever since they had gone to Hogwarts together the year before she kept thinking of him. He was so very different from the other boys she knew, although she doubted that he liked her.  
  
All of this she thought over on a warm day at the end of September. She kept playing with her mother's wedding ring, turning it so that she could have a better view. It was a simple silver ring, not more and not less. Luna liked it just for those reasons ... those were also the reasons why she liked Ron. He was simple. Nothing too fancy, but strong and always there.  
  
She sighed and got back up to walk back to the castle. Thinking about all of this was so senseless as he would never like her. No one liked her; that was how it had always been and would always be. And yet it was killing her inside to know that she would be alone for the rest of her life.  
  
"Well, what does it matter?" she said to herself and slipped the ring back onto her finger, when she suddenly heard steps behind her. She turned around to face the tall Slytherin who had taken the ring from her a couple of days ago and a few others, including Draco and Pansy.  
  
"I got detention because of you," the guy snarled.  
  
"I-I'm sorry," Luna muttered.  
  
The Slytherins were getting nearer and nearer, making a circle around her. Luna gulped; that wasn't good. They were alone out there with no teacher or prefect to help her. She pulled out her wand, just in case.  
  
"Ohhh, Loonie wants to do some spell work," Pansy sneered. "How cute."  
  
Suddenly the tall guy pulled out his wand and yelled: "Incendio!" The spell set Luna's long hair at fire at once. She cried out in pain and fear, desperately trying to think of a counter curse. Finally she managed to calm herself down enough to mutter a few words: "Finite Incantatem!" It wasn't perfect, but it helped and it gave Luna the time to regain her composure and storm away from the Slytherins.  
  
She stormed into the Forbidden Forest as fast as she could, oblivious to the fact that branches and thorns tore her robes and skin apart. Finally she collapsed out of pure exhaustion. She cried into her hands for a very long time. It was getting darker and darker, but she was sure that no one would miss her at the dinner table.  
  
"It's enough," she murmured to herself. "It's enough."  
  
She hesitated for a second, contemplating if she could do what she wanted to do. If she was strong enough or not. Finally she decided that she would just have to try. She got up, determination written on her face. She pointed her wand at herself.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Everything around her got dark and she felt that something inside her had just burned out.  
  
"That's better," she whispered.  
  
II.  
  
"Where's Miss Lovegood?" Professor Flitwick asked the next day in Charms class.  
  
Everybody was shocked when they suddenly noticed that Luna was gone. When they couldn't find her by lunch time the whole school got an afternoon off to look for her.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to go and look for her outside. They were just leaving the castle when they saw Hagrid running towards them, Luna in his arms.  
  
"Outta the way, kids!" he grumbled and ran to the hospital wing as though his life depended on it.  
  
Ron gasped when he caught a brief glimpse of Luna's face; it was white like a ghost's body. He shuddered and unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself. He wondered what had happened to the girl and if Madame Pomfrey could help her.  
  
The three walked back to the Gryffindor commonroom which was deserted as everyone was still looking for Luna. A few minutes later Katie Bell walked in, pale and shaking. She had been in the hospital wing for a few pays because she had fallen off her broom during practice.  
  
"I just saw how Hagrid brought her in. I heard Madame Pomfrey say tha-that ..."  
  
"What?!" Ron snapped.  
  
"She ... she used the Avada Kedavra curse on herself."  
  
"What?! How? Why?" they all three said in unison.  
  
Katie shook her head and then burst into tears. "W-we sh-should have been ... nice to h-her. Wh-what if she n-never wakes up again?"  
  
"How did they find her?" Hermione asked.  
  
"S-some Slytherin s-saw her walk into th-the forest."  
  
Ron stared at Katie for a moment, then got up to rush down to the dungeons; for some reason he had the feeling that the tall idiot had something to do with it. 


	3. Forever alone

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine, except for the tall Slytherin whose name will be ... Angus Mayfair. And the name Mayfair belongs to Anne Rice ...  
  
A/N: Just had to get the twins back somehow ... ^__^  
  
Chapter 3 (Forever alone)  
  
I.  
  
Luna Lovegood opened her eyes slwoly, blinking as the bright sunlight burned down on her. She closed her eyes immediately but shadows kept dancing behind her closed eyelids, anyway.  
  
"You are finally awake, then," a soft voice spoke up.  
  
Luna opened her eyes again to gaze into Albus Dumbledore's.  
  
"Professor, I ..."  
  
"It's all right, Luna. I'm not angry. I just want to know why you did that. Using a curse like this against yourself ..."  
  
The headmaster's voice trembled like Luna had never thought it could. Dumbledore had always been like a safe rock in an ocean of uncertainty.  
  
"Well, I ... it ... seemed right at that moment."  
  
"Does it have to do with Mr Mayfair?"  
  
Luna closed her eyes again, closed herself to the world. "That Slytherin? No, not really. He made me realize that it would be the best for good, but he's not the reason. No."  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "I haven't talked to your father yet; it was pretty obvious that the curse was too weak to do great harm and I wanted to hear what you had to say first."  
  
"Please, don't tell him. He shouldn't ... he shouldn't worry about me. Please."  
  
"All right, but please tell me why you did it." Both stayed silent for a while, Dumbledore waiting for Luna's answer and Luna trying to come up with a reason.  
  
"Why didn't the curse kill me?" Luna suddenly asked.  
  
"Well, you know when Harry tried to perform the Cruciatus Curse last summer? It did cause his victim pain, but only for a while. That is because Harry is not a cruel person; he doesn't get pleasure from hurting people. And you - you love life too much to kill ... yourself."  
  
Luna shook her head. "I don't love life. Why would **I**, Luna the Loonie Lovegood love life?! Everyone seems to do their best to make my life a living hell! No one loves me! Least of all Ro ..." Luna gasped; she had almost given her secret away. Dumbledore smiled softly and put a hand on Luna's brow.  
  
"There are more people in this world who love you. And that person you have been thinking about ... he certainly doesn't hate you."  
  
With that the old wizard got up and left.  
  
II.  
  
Ron, Harry, Hermione and the twins who had been forced to do their final year at Hogwarts again by Mrs Weasley were outside under a tall tree near the lake, talking about the whole situation. The twins had only arrived a few days ago and were shocked to hear of the recent events, too.  
  
"I don't get this," Hermione said sadly. "Why would anyone use that curse at all? Least of all against ... well ... yourself."  
  
Ron drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Ever since he had seen Hagrid carry Luna in that day he hadn't felt warm anymore. George looked at his brother worriedly.  
  
"Are you okay, Ron? You look pale."  
  
Ron shrugged. "I'm fine."  
  
"We should have done something a long time ago," Harry said furiously. "We **knew** Luna! She was a member of the DA. She was our **friend**. And we ... we even called her Loonie, too."  
  
"WE didn't," Fred said, pointing to George first and then to himself. "She had some really great ideas for our shop. And she let us test stuff on her."  
  
"You were ... are friends with her?" Hermione asked. "Since when?"  
  
"Well, when she was in her first year she saved us from Filch one evening. He would never think that she could do anything bad. She is the only one he never caught doing ..."  
  
" ... stuff. In return we saved her from a Slytherin. That Mayfair guy. He got what he deserved," George continued with his twin's explanation, grinning.  
  
"What was it you did?" Ron asked eagerly.  
  
"Think of Montague," Fred answered. "It's no good trying to fight a person who's twice as tall as yourself with your bare fists. Besides that we're wizards for crying out loud."  
  
The twins had saved Ron from Angus Mayfair before the Slytherin had been able to do anything really bad to their younger brother.  
  
"But at the beginning of last year she told us she would rather concentrate on school now and so we left her alone." George shrugged. "Her choice." Ron got up. He couldn't bear sitting around anymore. "I'll ask if I ... we can see her now, okay?"  
  
Everyone stared at him in awe; Madame Pomfrey had performed some pretty evil spells to protect the hospital wing from any visitor or enemy who might have wanted to visit Luna. As a matter of fact no one had visited her so far. No one had sent her cards or sweets or whatever.  
  
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked carefully. "Maybe we shouldn't ..."  
  
"Well, you would like to see someone besides Madame Pomfrey yourself if you were there, wouldn't you?" Ron asked furiously, his ears going scarlet.  
  
"Of course, but ..."  
  
"Let's go!" Harry and the twins called out in unison.  
  
Hermione sighed, but followed the boys. They would probably need her to do something against these spells ...  
  
III.  
  
Thirty minutes later the company had managed to get to the hospital wing's door and were about to knock when Madame Pomfrey opened it.  
  
"You are pretty annoying," she snapped. "What do you want?"  
  
"We want to visit Miss Lovegood," Hermione answered politely. "Would that be possible."  
  
"Miss Lovegood needs rest and besides that ... are you friends with her or what?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, we are. May we see her now?"  
  
The healer sighed and got out of their way, walking over to her office. "But only for a little while. You mustn't excite her," she warned them.  
  
The others followed Hermione and everyone, but Ron sat down on the chairs and beds beside Luna's. Ron was holding some flowers in his hands which he had stolen from Professor Sprout.  
  
"Luna?" Luna's eyes were closed, but they were all pretty sure that Luna wasn't asleep as her lips were moving and she was muttering something to herself.  
  
"Mmm? What?" Suddenly Luna's eyes were wide open and she seemed very awake.  
  
"Ron? Harry? Hermione? What are you all doing here?" she asked. Then she discovered the twins who were sitting at the end of her bed.  
  
"Fred, George! What are you ... You're back!" Luna was obviously pleased to see them and they, too, seemed to be happy to see the younger girl.  
  
"Hey," George said and came to Luna's right said.  
  
"Good to see you, Moonie." Fred took the place at her left side.  
  
"Moonie?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Luna is the Italian word for 'moon' and she's kinda a member of the new Marauders," George explained.  
  
Luna smiled, already deep in thought again. She had completely forgotten about the twins. The year before she had pushed them out of her life as well as she could. She didn't want to get them into more trouble than they usually were and besides that they reminded her of Ron so painfully ... And yet they had all come to visit her. Ron had come ... She smiled, suddenly feeling very warm and sleepy. Now everything would be all right somehow.  
  
A/N: Sorry, still not a lot of romance, but this chapter was necessary for the plot. 


	4. Three hearts at Night

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: Look at previous chappies.  
  
A/N: Reviewies? Mmm, it'll get interested from this point ... ::cackles evilly::  
  
Chapter 4 (Three hearts at Night)  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
Harry and Ron were alone in their bedroom; Neville, Seamus and Dean were in the Common Room with the others.  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
"Do you ... **like** Luna?"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I mean ... the way you've been looking at her ... it's ... well ..."  
  
Ron had blushed crimson and he hardly dared look at Harry. He buried his face in a pillow.  
  
"Yeff," his muffled voice came from under the pillow.  
  
"What?" Harry asked.  
  
"YES! Yes, I do like her and now go and make fun of me."  
  
Harry shook his head, looking at his friend seriously. "Why would I do such a thing? You didn't make fun of me for liking Cho either."  
  
"Cho's different. Everybody likes her."  
  
"Well, it's okay to like Luna," Harry said with a grin and came over to sit beside his friend. "What do you like about Luna the most?"  
  
Ron sighed and looked at Harry. "I dunno ... maybe ... just the way she looks at me sometimes. She seems so ... lost and I just ... don't want her to be lost anymore."  
  
Harry sighed, too. "You're in love with her, mate."  
  
Ron groaned. "That is what I have been afraid of."  
  
At the same time in the room above Harry and Ron a similiar conversation was held.  
  
"What do you think, Prongs?" George asked his brother. "What's up with Moonie?"  
  
"Dunno, Padfoot. She's sad. She shouldn't be."  
  
George chuckled to his brother's surprise. "She won't be for too long! Have you seen how Ron was looking at her?! History might repeat itself and a Gryffindor prefect will kiss a Ravenclaw girl in an empty class room again ..."  
  
Fred glared at his twin. "He doesn't. Ron is NOT in love with her! He's not interested in girls yet!"  
  
George frowned. "Prongs ... umm ... do you fancy her?"  
  
Usually the twins didn't have secrets when it came to each other, but ever since they had come back to Hogwarts and had learned about Luna's suicide attempt, Fred had been gloomy.  
  
"Why would you think such a thing?"  
  
"C'mon! I know you better than you know yourself! Normally you would support me when it comes to Percy-related jokes and how you're all jealous. **Do** you fancy her?"  
  
Fred thought about this for a moment. He couldn't deny that he liked Luna Lovegood. She had been a great member of the New Marauders. Fred/Prongs, George/Padfoot, Luna/Moonie and Lee/Wormtail had been very close during Luna's third and the others sixth year. He liked spending time with her as she seemed to have a side-effect on him; when she was around he could actually calm down enough to think of more than just the next prank and he had great ideas for the job. Yes, indeed. He **did** like her.  
  
"Nnng, yes."  
  
George cried out in joy and hugged his struggling twin. "Oh my! Ain't that cute?" George tweaked Fred's cheeks until the redhead cried in pain.  
  
"GEORGE!"  
  
"All right, all right. Mmm, but what will we do about Ron?"  
  
Fred thought for a moment. "We don't know if he likes her for sure yet. We'll just ask Harry or something."  
  
With that he turned away from his brother, going to sleep.  
  
Luna, who was still in the hospital wing, did not know of any of this. She felt lonely again. It seemed ages since her friends (for friends they obviously were) had visited her. She wanted to see someone beside Madame Pomfrey. She wanted to talk to the twins or Ron or ... whatever. Well, she was still pretty sure that Ron didn't like her the way she liked him although he had been really nice to her. She sighed. She would just have to rely on the twins then ... maybe their sight would at least give her an idea of what it would be like to be with Ron ...  
  
A/N: MANY people sigh in that chapter. Lol! 


	5. Sudden Fame

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: Blabla ... see previous chapter.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Expecially Rei luva and Lain! ::sniffles in joy::  
  
Chapter 4 (Sudden Fame)  
  
Although the teachers and Madame Pomfrey had tried to keep it quiet, the rumour of Luna Lovegood having used to Avadra Kedavra spell on herself had spread all over the school. While most students felt sorry for Luna, she had led to fame and admiration with the Slytherins; even Angus Mayfair and Draco Malfoy were impressed. When Luna entered the Great Hall two days after Harry, Hermione, Ron and the twins had visited her, everybody immediately stopped talking and turned to her. The silence was awkward for a moment, until Lee Jordan got up and pulled her over to the Gryffindor table.  
  
"You're going to sit with us now," he said firmly and so loud that everyone could easily understand what he said.  
  
Luna smiled shyly at him, but sat down between Lee and Fred. She was sitting opposite to Ron who beamed at her.  
  
After that the students started talking again and everything seemed quite normal that day, except for one thing: No one was calling her Loonie, no one was stealing things from her and the twins escorted her to all of her lessons.  
  
In the afternoon Luna sat outside under the very same tree which she had been sitting under the day all of this had started. Again she was playing with her mother's wedding ring and again she thought of Ron. She could almost see his red hair in front of her ... She started. This was **indeed** Ron's shoulder-length , red hair in front of her.  
  
"Hi!"  
  
"H-hi," Luna stuttered.  
  
"Just thought I'd look how you were."  
  
"Mmm, good. Yeah, I'm good."  
  
Ron frowned. People who had been in mortal danger for weeks weren't supposed to be good. They were supposed to be depressed, wounded, in pain ... whatever, but NOT good!  
  
"Are you sure?" He looked at her cheek; where the curse had hit her she had a scar similiar to the one on Harry's forehead.  
  
"Yes, really." She smiled and it didn't even look like a fake smile to the youngest Weasley brother. "You don't need to worry."  
  
Luna regretted her words at once. She **wanted** Ron to worry! That showed that he actually cared. "Well, but I do. If you ever need someone to talk to ... I'll be there."  
  
Luna felt how she blushed, but she didn't care as Ron's face shone in a bright scarletty color, too.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered.  
  
"Welcome," Ron whispered back, got up and skipped away, like he was really pleased or something.  
  
Luna chuckled to herself and kept playing with her ring when someone covered her eye from behind.  
  
"Stop that, Prongs."  
  
"How did you know it was me?" Fred pouted and let go of her.  
  
"Well, woman's intuition, I guess."  
  
"Hey." George hugged Luna from behind; something he had given up two years ago after Luna's struggles, but also something that felt right now. The twins were both rather warm people although it was a known fact that usually George was the one who initiated body contact, but both often hugged each other or Ginny; Ron wasn't too intrigued by the idea of being hugged by a twin. This time Luna leaned back into the embrace, closing her eyes. What she didn't know was her women's intuition had failed her this time. It was indeed Fred who was holding her as close as humanly possible, rocking her back and forth in his arms while the soft breeze played with their hair and mixed up light brown with flaming red.  
  
Ron was still skipping when he arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
"Lacrima puellae," he said in a sing-songy voice.  
  
"You seem in a very good mood," the Fat Lady said.  
  
"Indeed, I am." Ron grinned and planted a kiss on the Fat Lady's cheek before he sauntered into the Common Room. Lavender and Parvati looked at him as if he had just grown a second head and Hermione came to feel if he had a fever or anything.  
  
"You feel normal, Ron. Why are you walking so funny?"  
  
"Ohhh ... I'm happy, happy, happy!" He pulled Hermione into a silent corner and told her everything.  
  
"Well, you should have stayed in case she wanted to tell you anything," Hermione said. "Other than that you were doing well, though."  
  
Ron smiled happily. "This is a great day!"  
  
"What's so great about this day?" Ginny, who had just turned up, asked.  
  
Ron told her everything and she frowned. "Why is everyone making such a fuss of this? I mean, it was Loonie's own deci-"  
  
"Ginny Weasley!" Hermione called out. "This is a serious topic and you shouldn't ..."  
  
"Why is everyone acting like Luna was their best friend suddenly?! Before all of this happened you didn't even like her and now it's oh so important for her to have someone to talk to!"  
  
Ron and Ginny had both gone equally red in the face, both trembling with rage.  
  
"Ginny! I thought she was your **friend**!"  
  
"I was just hanging out with her sometimes, because I felt sorry for her, but I don't like her! Never have done, never will do!"  
  
Ginny jumped up and left a very angry Ron and a shocked Hermione behind.  
  
At the same time, Luna was still cuddling with Fred although she had no idea that it was him and George was feeling uncomfortable. When Fred had suggested that, he hadn't thought it would cause any harm; it would just comfort Luna, but since Fred's hugs seemed to get more heartily, he felt that he had to do something.  
  
"Mmm, George, we still need to go and talk to Wormtail about this plan of ours ..."  
  
Fred looked up. "Plan?" He saw that sparkle in George's eyes that reminded him of his mother's. "Ohhh, the PLAN! Right!"  
  
He slowly got up. "Mmm, it's a surprise, Moonie. So ... we'll tell you when the time has come."  
  
Luna smiled and nodded and the twins left. When they were far away enough Fred spoke up.  
  
"What was that about? Why did you say anything about that non-existant plan?"  
  
"Fred, that wasn't right! We shouldn't have done this."  
  
"And why?"  
  
"Dunno. Just doesn't feel right. We shouldn't trick Moonie. Not like this."  
  
Fred sneered. "I won't leave her to ickle Ronnie-kins if that is what you are suggesting."  
  
And with that he stormed off, leaving his twin, his other half, the one he loved most behind.  
  
A/N: With that last part I just meant brotherly love, of course!!! And sorry if I look like a Ginny hater. I'm not. Everything shall be explained in later chapters ... 


	6. In Love and Hate

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: See previous chapters.  
  
A/N: Thank you ever so much for the reviews! ::sniffles in joy::  
  
Chapter 6 (In Love and Hate)  
  
"Lee, would you tell George to give me the Charms book, please?"  
  
"Lee, would you tell Fred please that it's MY book?"  
  
"Can you two PLEASE shut up?!" Lee growled. "This is getting pretty annoying and it is so pointless! Just because you two were not sharing the same opinion on something once there is no need to act like that!"  
  
The twins who were both on their respective beds which was quite unusual for them, looked at their friend and they realised that they had been wrong. It felt wrong to be seperated, not talking to each other seemed wrong. Everything just seemed not the way it should have been.  
  
"I'm sorry, George," Fred murmured.  
  
"I'm sorry, Fred."  
  
George got up and walked over to hug his twin and then their friend who had made them forgive each other. George still didn't agree with Fred on what he was doing with Luna, but they would go through everything together.  
  
A few hours later, at around midnight, Luna had visited the Astronomy tower to finish her homework. She loved the stars; they were always there and they wouldn't just go away all of a sudden, no, she could always depend on them.  
  
"What are you doing up here?" someone behind her spoke up.  
  
Luna spun around to face Ron. "Homework," she replied.  
  
"You need help?"  
  
"No, it's all right. I like it actually." They both looked up to the stars.  
  
"There's Mars!" Ron exclaimed. "Flaming red! I've never seen Mars so bright!"  
  
"Just like your hair," Luna laughed. "Look, over there's Venus! So beautiful ..."  
  
"Just like you," Ron said and blushed immediately, almost wanting to punch himself for having said that.  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
"Just like uhhh that BLUE one over there!"  
  
"Ohhh, yeah." Of course he hadn't said 'Just like you!' Luna scolded herself. Why would he? He didn't like Luna. He liked Hermione. Everyone knew that and she should better get used to that.  
  
"Ummm, Luna?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"May I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Why ... I mean ... why did you do that to yourself?"  
  
She couldn't answer that question or she would have to tell him that it was partly because of him and he wasn't supposed to find out about her secret.  
  
"Many things ... nothing special ..."  
  
"Are you sure? If there is anything you need help with I will help you if I can. And even if I can't we will find ways. Hermione or Harry will know what to do and ... yeah ..."  
  
"Thank you," Luna whispered.  
  
She blushed, but Ron couldn't see it in the darkness. He did something he would have never dared if it had been light: he quickly pulled her into a hug.  
  
Luna was surprised but she liked how it felt; Ron was warm and he smelled of almonds and other sweets. She didn't have a lot of time to get used to that new feeling, however; Ron pulled away as quickly as he had hugged her and was now blushing himself.  
  
"Very well. I'll go ... uhhh ... to bed now. I'm not supposed to be here. Just had borrowed Harry's cloak ... yeah ..."  
  
He left but both Ron and Luna kept smiling for a very long time after that.  
  
A few days passed and Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna spent a lot of time together. The older students (especially Hermione, of course) would help Luna with everything she had missed during her time in the hospital wing and they were generally just having a good time. While an inter-house friendship as close as this was highly uncommon no one had a problem with it.  
  
No one except Ginny Weasley. Ginny had a major problem with the fact that suddenly Luna seemed the most popular girl everywhere. The Slytherins were still too impressed to hate her for hanging out with Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws were acknowleding her, too, now. Ginny hated all of that. The reason was jealousy, but not because Ginny wasn't getting that much attention anymore, but because Luna was HER friend! She had already seen Luna when she had been invisible and now everybody was acting like they had been best friends with Luna all along! That simply wasn't true!  
  
Who had cared about Luna? Who had made sure that at least some people were nice to her?!  
  
Not Ron! Not Harry! Not Hermione!  
  
It had been her, Ginny! And now they were stealing Ginny's best friend! It was just unfair. The only Weasley girl had been hiding all of this for a long time, claiming to hate Luna.  
  
Now Ginny had a plan that would help to get her friend back.  
  
It was a mean plan, but it was the only chance Ginny had. The only one ... 


	7. Falling

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine ...  
  
A/N: Thank you ever so much for the reviews!!!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Ginny's plan was simple and that was what made it so effective. She was or rather had been Luna's best friend and of course she knew about Luna's infatuation with Ron; the way the Ravenclaw girl would look at him, laugh about things he had said ... all these things had been Ginny's spies. Yes, indeed, she would soon have her best friend back ...  
  
It all started quiet. The rumour started spreading on a Sunday. Just a random Sunday, but soon half of the school had heard of it and the pupils' attitude towards Luna changed. She was no longer the poor girl, no, she was the subject of some interesting gossip now.  
  
"Have you heard of it yet?" Lee Jordan panted as he rushed towards Hagrid's hut where Harry, Ron and Hermione had spent the whole day.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry wanted to know.  
  
"Luna ... she did it ... because of you ... Ron."  
  
Ginny was elated that her plan had worked so well. Well, the first part of it had. Now she had to make sure that Ron wouldn't want Luna anymore and she would have her friend just to herself. Finally.  
  
"Hey Draco," Ginny said as she sauntered over to the Slytherin table in the Great Hall.  
  
"Weasley? Anything I can do for you?" he asked in a mock-polite voice.  
  
"The real question is what I can do for you," Ginny replied.  
  
"What could **you** do for **me**?"  
  
"Help you get Luna Lovegood for example."  
  
"NO! I don't believe this!!!" Fred shook Lee as hard as he could. "NOOO!!!"  
  
"Fred!" George put a hand on his brother's shoulder, but the younger twin shook it off.  
  
"I LOVE her!" It was the first time Fred said it as passionately as this and now his brother and his best friend started to realize that things couldn't be stopped anymore.  
  
Luna had pretty much spent the whole day in bed as she was tired from many learning sessions at night and so the first time she noticed that something wasn't as it should have been was when she entered the Great Hall which was empty at that time of day usually and she was grabbed by Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
The boys dragged her off to the Slytherin's commonroom which was highly uncommon and Luna really wanted to know what lay ahead of her.  
  
A/N: This actually more of a teaser for what is to come than a real chapter. Sorry. 


	8. Deeper

Waning Moon  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine ...  
  
A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates, but I'm so busy with college now. Sorry. And again: I do NOT hate Ginny. I like her! The Lovegood's aren't necessarily an ancient wizard family, but they will be for the sake of this story ...  
  
Chapter 8 (Deeper ...)  
  
Ginny was sitting on her bed, grinning.  
  
Her plan really had worked out. At least the first phase. The pupils of Hogwarts no longer thought of Luna as a poor girl who had been treated badly. Oh no, now she was stupid, ugly Luna again. Luna who had cast the most evil spell on herself because of a crush ...  
  
The second phase had been more difficult to plan. Ron was a very loyal friend and so were Fred, George, Hermione und Harry.  
  
There was only one way to make them hate Luna ... to make them believe that the Ravenclaw girl was in league with their worst enemy: Draco Malfoy.  
  
In fact Draco was keen on being with Luna. She had used the Avadra Kedavra spell, she came from a very ancient wizard family and her blood was at least as pure as Draco's. Her aunts and uncles on the mother's side were actually distant relatives to the Mayfair family who had become pretty powerful. All in all, Draco had realized all of this too late. He had teased Luna and had been mean and there wouldn't have been a normal way to ask her to go out with him. Ginny however had done her very best to help him out of that situation. He didn't know what was in for Ginny. It didn't matter. All that counted was that he needed an even better reputation among the Slytherins. The best yet was that Weasley and Potter would lose one of their friends and maybe ... maybe he would be able to turn everybody else to his side ...  
  
Ginny grinned yet again. The game had just begun ...  
  
"What do you want with me?" Luna yelled at Draco as they were finally alone in the Slytherin common room.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to sit down?" The blonde completely ignored Luna.  
  
"WHAT? Don't you have enough? Do you really want me to kill myself?"  
  
"Why would I want that?" He pushed Luna down on a light green couch, sat down himself and put an arm around Luna's shoulder.  
  
The young girl felt uncomfortable. What the hell was that about? Why was Draco being nice to her?  
  
"My dear Luna, there are things you should know." He cupped her face with his hands and stared at her which made her feel even worse. "I don't want your heart to break, you know."  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
"I know how much you love Weasley. It's pretty obvious. I even heard talk of your suicide attempt. That it was because of Ron."  
  
"It wasn't because of him!"  
  
Draco tightened his grip on her, still gazing into her eyes like he was trying to melt them under his glare.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well, not entirely ... and ..."  
  
"Poor Luna. Poor, poor Luna. You will be devestated, but I need to tell you the truth about Harry, Ron and Hermione. They only acted like they were your friends. Behind your back they called all kinds of mean things. Weasley said you were nothing but a fat, ugly elephant."  
  
Luna couldn't hold her tears back anymore; she let them flow now and they came with even greater force than when she had tried to kill herself.  
  
"B-but why would they do that?" she sobbed.  
  
"Why? Haven't you noticed how they became the centre of attention once again? How they were everyone's darling? They only do the things they do for attention. I do have the courage to actually tell people when I don't like them and many think I'm arrogant. But at least I will never lie to you. Now listen to me, Luna. I love you."  
  
"Ron, Harry, Hermione?" Ginny asked tentatively as she came down into the common room. She knew they would be there. She knew it because all of this had been planned out. Nothing would go wrong.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione was working on a house elf suit.  
  
"I can't find Luna anywhere. I am worried."  
  
Ron and Fred who had been with them jumped up immediately. So did George; he still found it better to keep Fred's infatuation with Luna quiet.  
  
"Can we go and look for her?" Ginny asked in her sweetest voice.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You love me?" Luna asked.  
  
She had longed to hear these three words. Not necessarily from Draco, but from anyone and now her time had finally come. She was so eager to love and be loved. Hell, she would've died thousands of deaths just to hear this, feel this and how could it be a lie? When he looked at her like this? Yes, he had to be right. Ron didn't care about her. He hated her, but there was a person who loved her! It wasn't Ron, but did that really matter?  
  
"Yes, yes, I do. And now let's go and show everyone that we are together now," Draco said impatiently and pulled Luna up and out of the dungeons.  
  
Ginny's conditions had been clear: She would tell him how to get Luna if he would be at a certain place, at a certain time, doing a certain thing.  
  
"Maybe they a-"  
  
"Oh my GOD!" George called out.  
  
Luna and Draco were on the top of a huge stair case, kissing. That was when hell broke loose. 


End file.
